


anything you can do (i can do better)

by lilaclullabies



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Banter, Challenges, Competition, Duelling, Friendly Rivalry, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Light-Hearted, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Rivalry, Swordfighting, Swords, dream is really prideful and kinda clingy, other characters tagged appear in later chapters!, techno is tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29506434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaclullabies/pseuds/lilaclullabies
Summary: “Don’t get too cocky there, Dream,” Techno warned with a low chuckle. “You’re starting to sound arrogant.”“Pft, I’m not being cocky if I know that I’ll win.”“I’d be careful if I were you. Hubris is a pretty fatal flaw, you know that, right? Don’t wanna end up like Icarus or Cassiopeia, do you?”After getting bored of repetitive duels, Dream suggests to Techno that they compete in anything else other than fighting. But there's a catch; the loser has to dowhateverthe winner wants them to. Whoever wins the most challenges is declared the victor. From seeing who can sing the lowest note to even rap battles, the duo battle it out to see who can rise to the top as the ultimate winner.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	anything you can do (i can do better)

It was relatively sunny outside. Fluffy clouds were dispersed across the late morning sky, looking like smears of white paint splattered across a pale blue canvas. As the birds chirped sweetly, the melodies of their songs carried throughout the forest, as they were eager to share their music. The faint sound of a _woosh_ could be heard, as the cool autumn breeze passed by. The dirt ground was littered with pine needles and leaves that came in a variety of different colors, ranging from fiery red to dark yellow. Today’s weather was perfect; it was neither too hot nor too cold. 

It was quite the picturesque day indeed, so idyllic that it almost seemed as if it could belong within the pages of a fairy tale story. It was also the perfect day to win a duel against your so-called “rival”, but unluckily for Dream, today turned out to be not one of those days.

Before he had any time to react, he was shoved onto the ground, the heavy weight of a boot pressing down against his chest; his back brushed past the rough bark of the oak tree behind him. Dream grunted due to the uncomfortable position he was stuck in. The sharp end of an enchanted netherite sword was pointed directly at Dream’s throat; the blade of the weapon glistened and shimmered as it caught sunlight. His own sword lay abandoned several feet away from him, as it had been previously knocked out of his hand. 

Dream stared upwards, green eyes meeting the sharp gaze of his opponent...who was none other than the legendary _Technoblade_.

The whole duel had been incredibly tense, but Dream and Techno weren’t actually trying to seriously _hurt_ each other. After all, it was just a sword fighting match. The two of them partook in these pretty often, fighting against each other most of the time. It was a hobby of sorts for the both of them. 

Dream and Techno were both competitive people, though they expressed their competitive natures in different ways. Dream was more loud and brash. He was always down for some friendly competition, and almost never backed down from a challenge, no matter how difficult it was. Techno’s ambition was more subtle, yet it was still clearly there. Just because he was more introverted didn’t mean that Dream was any more intimidating than him; in fact, at times, Techno could be the very definition of the words of _cutthroat_ and _threatening_.

Once again, Techno emerged the victor. For the past several duels, it had been him who had won. Every single time, Dream had just _almost_ won, but alas, the matches hadn’t been ending in his favor—today was no exception to that pattern. 

He was frustrated. _Had all the early mornings he had spent practicing with George and Sapnap gone to waste?_ Dream had been doing so well in today’s match, and he truly believed that he could’ve won...that is, until Techno had pushed him down to the ground and the end of his sword was pointed at the dirty blond’s throat. 

He suddenly felt the weight of the boot pressing down on his chest be lifted. Techno let out a snort before extending his hand forwards, helping the other man get back onto his feet. Dream stumbled slightly before finding his balance; he dusted off the dirt and dust that had stuck onto his jeans. 

“So, it appears that I’ve won… _again_.” The deep baritone of Techno’s voice remained relatively monotone; he spoke as if he were merely making a mundane observation. 

With a huff, Dream rolled his eyes. He protested, “I’ll get you next time, Techno. Just you wait!”

Techno raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say the exact same thing last time we dueled?” 

“I mean it!” Dream’s cheeks flared up due to slight indignation, appearing red and splotchy. “I’m going to kick your ass so hard that you’ll never be able to forget it!” 

“ _Third time’s the charm_ , right?” The half-piglin asked, as he tucked a few stray strands of pale pink hair that had come loose from his long braid behind his ear. “But isn’t this like the fifth? Sixth? Maybe even _seventh_ time you’ve lost so far?”

The dirty blond’s hands balled into tight fists, his posture tense. “You don’t have to rub it into my face like that, Techno.”

A stark contrast to Dream, Techno seemed unbothered. While Dream was all fired-up and more than ready for a second sword fighting match, Techno almost appeared as if he was _bored_ , like he wanted to do anything else but stand here and talk to the man beside him. His demeanor remained casual, as he leaned against the trunk of the tree. 

“Well, it’s not really _’rubbing it in your face’_ if I’m just telling the truth,” he replied nonchalantly. 

“Ugh, whatever. You just keep on winning because you have an insane amount of luck.” 

Techno chuckled, somewhat amused by the dirty blond’s irritation. “You know how apparently _green_ is the color of envy? I’m starting to believe that’s true,” he joked. 

At Techno’s little tease, Dream punched the other man’s shoulder. However, he wasn’t _too_ mad honestly (after all, these duels were just for fun, and there was no use in getting so worked up about them), and he had to admit that the half-piglin’s remark was funny. 

“Shut up, man,” Dream couldn’t stop himself from letting a small chuckle spill out.

“If it makes you feel any better, you put up a pretty good fight. You’re a worthy opponent, if I do say so myself.” Techno shrugged, as grabbed the hilt of his sword and encased its blade into the scabbard that was attached to the black leather belt he wore around his waist. “Honestly, I’m kind of tired from fighting so I think I’m going to head back home right now.”

Now it was Dream’s turn to tease. A slightly crooked smirk soon spread itself across his face. “What? You, the _blood god_ himself, backing down from a second match? I’m surprised, Technoblade.”

Techno’s expression was blank, devoid of any distinct emotion. “I mean, you can’t really blame me for feeling tired. We’ve been dueling for a pretty long time, and not gonna lie, a nap sounds nice.” 

“Oh _come on_ now! It’s only been like, what, a few hours?” Dream pleaded. “We don’t even have to duel anymore, I just want to do _something_.” 

“Can’t you go bother those two goons of yours? They’d probably be willing to entertain you.” 

“George and Sapnap are busy.” Dream adjusted the straps that held the white ceramic mask that covered a majority of his face, as it was beginning to slide slightly off to the left, making it uneven. “Techno, I’m _so_ bored, I don’t have anyone else to hang out with,” he complained. 

“When did you get so clingy? Bruh, you’re acting like Tommy,” Techno said with a small laugh. 

Dream gasped in mock offense, eyebrows raised high. “Are you seriously comparing me to that _child_?” 

“I dunno, Dream. Maybe I am.” 

“Wow, I’ve really reached a new low.” Wanting to continue with his theatrics, fabricated melancholy laced his words. It was evident that Dream had a flair for the dramatics.

“Techno, _please_? Pretty pretty please?” he continued to beg, like a persistent dog pestering its uninterested owner. 

He wasn’t going to give up anytime soon. Those who knew Dream knew that he could be incredibly stubborn, and that was a fact Techno was _definitely_ aware of. 

The half-piglin was silent for a moment as he contemplated whether or not he should continue to spend time with Dream or if he should head home to take a (very well deserved) nap. He finally sighed and responded begrudgingly, “ _Fine_. It’s not like I have anything important to do this afternoon, anyways.”

“Nice! I knew you’d come around.” Soon, Dream was sporting a grin, showing off his pearly white teeth. 

“Let’s just hope I don’t regret this.” As he grumbled, a bit of exhaustion slipped through Techno’s mostly deadpan voice. 

Dream’s green eyes sparkled and lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree, looking like little emeralds as an idea suddenly formed in his mind; his grin widened even more. He glanced over to look at the other man. 

“So, these little duels we’ve been doing have been pretty fun, don’t you think?” Dream began to say, as he bent down to pick up his sword that had been knocked out of his hand during the duel. 

“Hm...yeah, I suppose they have.” Techno’s gaze was directed onto the dirt ground as he began to kick around some of the small pebbles. 

“The fun doesn’t have to end with just this sword fighting match! We can keep going on and on. Techno, we’re both competitive people, so this is the _perfect_ way to spend the rest of our day!”

“I already told you that I’m not going to fight any more matches today. Like I’m pretty burnt out if I gotta be honest, can’t we just go get a warm cup of coffee at Niki’s bakery or something like that?” 

“That’s _boring_ ,” Dream groaned. “But I didn’t mean that we _had_ to do another duel—I actually had some other ideas in mind.” 

“ _Oh?_ ” Techno inquired, as his right ear flicked towards the nearby sound of the dirty blond’s voice, expressing some interest. “And what are those ideas?”

“I was thinking that we could compete in stuff other than fighting for once. As much as I like the duels, and as much as I think they’re good practice, I’m kinda tired of them. Why don’t we do something different? The competitions can be dumb stuff like short-distance running, arm wrestling, baking—honestly, I’m down for anything. Maybe we can get some other people to decide what we should compete in to spice things up.”

“The last part sounds like a bad idea,” Techno remarked, eyes narrowed in cynicism. “I can see it going wrong in many ways.”

“Maybe we should ask Sapnap first. Pretty sure he’s going to suggest we do a flirting contest with other people,” A glint of mischief was visible in Dream’s eyes.

“ _Please no, anything but that—_ ”

“ _Come on_ Techno, aren’t your conversation skills absolutely legendary? You won’t have a problem reciting pick-up lines to _anyone_!”

“I dunno what you’re talking about, that just sounds like a set-up to publicly embarrass me,” Techno remarked honestly. “You know that I don’t do very well in social situations.”

“Fine, fine. Don’t worry, I was just kidding. I’m not _that_ mean. Besides, I don’t want any of the homies to get jealous, you know,” Dream joked while elbowing Techno at the shoulder. “Gogy and Sap would get mad if I flirted with someone else.”

“With your track record of consistently losing these duels, I wouldn’t be _that_ surprised if I ended up beating you in all of these competitions.” As usual, Techno’s voice remained monotone, rumbling low like the tank engine of an old train. 

“Hey! You don’t know that. Watch me, I’m gonna prove you wrong,” Dream insisted, chest puffing out with pride. 

“Cool,” Techno said dryly. “There’s like, a 1 in 1.7 trillion chance of you winning, but go on.”

“Oh my God, stop it! That isn’t even funny!” The dirty blond said, though contrary to his words, he had begun to laugh. “You don’t seem very excited, by the way,” he remarked.

“Eh. I’m just always like this. I mean, this time there isn’t a cash prize of a hundred thousand dollars to get worked up over—hey, do we even win anything this time?” 

“Is that all you care about? _Money_?” 

“Well, in this materialistic world of ours, the main thing that matters is wealth....and power, too…”

“You’re such a Debbie Downer, Techno,” Dream teased. “But hm...I guess there _should_ be a prize. That way, it raises the stakes. Maybe it could be like a bet, the loser has to do whatever the winner wants them to. It makes things more risky.” 

“That also sounds like a bad idea,” he said, still seeming to be a little wary, before letting out an exhausted exhale. “But you know what? Fine, I’ll agree to that. I mean, I’m possibly placing my fate into your hands, but eh, it’s not that _big_ of a deal,” he remarked sarcastically. 

“Remember, the loser has to do _whatever_ the loser wants. _I’m going to have so much fun with this…_ ”

“Don’t get too cocky there, Dream,” Techno warned with a low chuckle. “You’re starting to sound arrogant.”

“Pft, I’m not being cocky if I _know_ that I’ll win.”

“I’d be careful if I were you. Hubris is a pretty fatal flaw, you know that, right? Don’t wanna to end up like _Icarus_ or _Cassiopeia_ , do you?” 

Dream smiled fondly at the half-piglin’s mythological allusions; he too was rather fond of the ancient Greek myths, finding them quite fascinating. Perhaps that was another reason why they got along so well. Despite how intimidating they could seem on the surface, and despite being formidable warriors, deep down, they were complete and utter geeks. 

“I’ll be careful.” Dream could feel the warm flames of his competitiveness being stoked. He smirked; he was beyond _ready_ for this. “Good luck, by the way—I’m sure you’ll be needing it.” 

“Like I said, there’s a 1 in 1.7 trillion chance of you winning…”

“ _Oh, you’re on_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Woo, over 2200 words! This was super fun to write, definitely ended up curing my writer's block as well! The idea for this fic is from my buddy Ranch (aka biggest Techno simp), who suggested that I write something about "Dream and Techno competing over dumb stuff". The idea piqued my interest so I definitely had to deliver. I also believe in rivals duo supremacy,, 
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, the other characters tagged will be in appear in later chapters! Ch. 2 will have Wilbur giving Techno and Dream a challenge, ch. 3 will have Niki, ch. 4 will have Tommy and Quackity, and ch. 5 (the final chapter) will have Tubbo. I'm aiming for one chapter a week to come out, but I'm a tad bit busy with schoolwork, other fic ideas, and life in general, but I'll try my best to stick to that schedule! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/afternoon/night! <3


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